[Turbo car]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

The Pajero Sport ain't bad at all...give it a second thought. Else pursue the 18 month old Pajero. Price should be 16L tops - If you are paying 20, then get a new one or the Sport.

As for the 320d. That is not a contender if you are looking at SUV's only. Otherwise a great car & frugal on fuel too

Happy Buying !

The asking price is bit steep Ricky and that is what that made me hesitant about that Pajero. But the problem is, most of the Pajero's that come into the market are either with the dealers or have been extensively abused and their odometers have been tampered with and hence unreliable.

320 d came as an option as he was trying to compare prices and the value and esteem delivered by each vehicle Independently, and was trying to dissuade me from what he perceived as a costly mistake.

Any way as of now 320d is not in my radar but a pajero definitely is. i will keep you posted Ricky regarding the developments. Once again, thanks for your feed backs.

[Ricky_63]

The car after the FIRST service :-

Just took pics - liked them - hence sharing

[Ricky_63]

At long last I return to post on my thread. The car has done around 19600 kms to date, and is performing like it should. But the dealership & service experience is another story.

I am herewith posting what mail exchange I had with VW. A reply is still awaited, from them.

My car was there at Frontier Gurgaon for the 2nd service, other than the usual oil & filters that I requested, there was nothing else to be done on the car, but when I got the car back there was an invoice addressed to VW for stuff supposedly done on the car, which my driver confirmed was NOT done at all. They had billed VW for opening / dismantling / re-installing front seats, opening / refitting steering wheel, opening / reinstalling airbags !!!! / opening & re-installing dashboard, repairing wiring harness
NONE OF THE ABOVE WORK WAS ORDERED BY ME NOR DID THEY SEEK MY PERMISSION FOR DOING ANY OF THIS.

My first mail to them was met with a standard non-descript kind of silly reply, like we "value" your patronage & this was followed by a equally ridiculous call from the dealer, informing me that the software they have describes the job as dismantling & reinstalling - even if they were to repair or inspect a horn button..Ridiculous I thought.

Hence this mail that I sent out to them last evening - any of the members had any such experiences ??




TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

I am glad to hear from VW

I had a conversation with one Mr. Kamal of Frontier Autoworld, Gurgaon. He was unable to fathom the gravity of the misdeed conducted by the dealership. I did not expect it from them any which way, is why I wrote to the company in the first place.

It is unfortunate that all I got in response is a call from your Mumbai call center, the executive who called did seem to understand the gravity of the illegal act committed by your dealer. Hence assured me of forwarding my concern to you - i.e. VOLKSWAGEN INDIA

As you say my feedback is important for you, I trust that this mail will be forwarded to senior management, to better understand why the VW brand has a diminishing market. The so called "work" carried out by your dealer was a total sham. It is impossible to dismantle & then reinstall the dashboard within the time my car was at the garage for service. In addition they claim to have uninstalled & reinstalled the steering wheel, airbag, and wiring harness was supposedly repaired.

When your dealer takes 5 hours to change engine oil & filters, are they capable of disassembling & reassembling all of the above in the short period ???? I think not. But yes - they are going to bill you, and you are going to pay them for it !!! It is either a way of offering incentive to a dealer, and booking the same as expense in your books or the dealer is short changing you......THAT is my concern

They charged me for opening the brakes & cleaning them - when my car has perfect brakes.....

I hate it - when my car is tampered with - my consent was NOT at all obtained for doing this (brakes, airbags dismantling & reinstalling, dashboard dismantling, reinstalling)
I suspect that they may have taken out my good parts & replaced it on another car, and I would be within my rights to think so, as the so called jobs were done without my knowledge or consent.

You are requested to take this matter seriously, as it may mar the reputation of your brand.

If you choose to send me another standard reply, then I know that you do NOT care for your customer's feedback or the longevity of the brand.

I am sure you are aware that this act is not only unethical but also illegal.


A reply would be appreciated. Please note I am happy with your product, but your dealership experience leaves a lot to be desired


Regards

[thebfg]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

........billed VW for opening / dismantling / re-installing front seats, opening / refitting steering wheel, opening / reinstalling airbags !!!! / opening & re-installing dashboard, repairing wiring harnesses
NONE OF THE ABOVE WORK WAS ORDERED BY ME NOR DID THEY SEEK MY PERMISSION FOR DOING ANY OF THIS..........

This is very sad to hear. How can VW dealers be so fraudulent! You should take this matter to the consumer court. There is no way in the world that VW would design their car in such a way, that everything has to be taken out to inspect the horn! You should find a guide on how to take out a Polo steering wheel which can be used as evidence in the court if you go there.
Please post any updates

[el lobo 6061]

Kindly hear me out.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

My car was there at Frontier Gurgaon for the 2nd service, other than the usual oil & filters that I requested, there was nothing else to be done on the car, but when I got the car back there was an invoice addressed to VW for stuff supposedly done on the car, which my driver confirmed was NOT done at all. They had billed VW for opening / dismantling / re-installing front seats, opening / refitting steering wheel, opening / reinstalling airbags !!!! / opening & re-installing dashboard, repairing wiring harness
NONE OF THE ABOVE WORK WAS ORDERED BY ME NOR DID THEY SEEK MY PERMISSION FOR DOING ANY OF THIS.

VW had released bulletins a year back regarding the following things.
1. Removal of seats and change of seat frames:
Previous seat frames were known to rust. Its good on company part to proactively admit and replace parts FOC(Free of cost).

2. Steering column wiring harness:
Earlier cars steering had a tendency to rub against some wire which may lead to problem. To which company wrapped them up to shield them against any rubbing due to steering.

3. Seat frames lower part being painted:
This is a recent one wherein VW painted the seat frames to prevent any corrosion.

I have got the 2 & 3 point done on my car wherein later one was done a month back.

Don't know about dashboard removal & air bag issue, maybe its VIN specific. When the job card is opened all the works related to bulletins are listed as they are generated by VIN numbers.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

The so called "work" carried out by your dealer was a total sham. It is impossible to dismantle & then reinstall the dashboard within the time my car was at the garage for service. In addition they claim to have uninstalled & reinstalled the steering wheel, airbag, and wiring harness was supposedly repaired.

Steering wiring harness can be done by workshop within 3 hrs. Cannot say about dashboard dismantling. I would advice you to have a talk with the workshop managers to understand why was the dashboard removed if at all and what were the bulletins about. Many a times SA meant to write something else and jot down something else.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

But yes - they are going to bill you, and you are going to pay them for it !!! It is either a way of offering incentive to a dealer, and booking the same as expense in your books or the dealer is short changing you......THAT is my concern

Why would work done regarding bulletins be charged, its always FOC. They do give a bill to list all the work which was carried out but never do they ask to pay for it.

The steering column and seat frame work were done FOC and never did I pay anything for it and never did VW asked anything for it.

Have it checked. I don't think they would charge you for it. If they did, have it refunded.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

They charged me for opening the brakes & cleaning them - when my car has perfect brakes.

When the job card is opened they enlist all the work that are to be done and give you an estimate. Wherein its upto you whether you want to get it done or not. Just like washing, which would be added in by default in estimate which needs to be said no politely. I believe your driver didn't say no to it which is why they performed it. I always refuse washing, wiper fluid, coolant top up, etc which they add in estimate. One has to be pro-active.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

I hate it - when my car is tampered with - my consent was NOT at all obtained for doing this (brakes, airbags dismantling & reinstalling, dashboard dismantling, reinstalling)

Again I would repeat when the job card is opened it list all the bulletins by VW for your car VIN. You need to ask them specifically for what all is going to be done. Most of the bulletins are compulsory by VW as they may affect the safety of car. Eg. steering column, workshop manager said they will need to perform it and cannot be taken off list.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

I suspect that they may have taken out my good parts & replaced it on another car, and I would be within my rights to think so, as the so called jobs were done without my knowledge or consent.

That's thinking aloud. They wouldn't do it. Those were in the old days of Skoda which are bygones.

[amit_mechengg]

Have you been charged in your bill for dismantling the dash, wiring harness etc.If they have done it proactively as per circulars from VW they should have not charged you. If not i dont think there is any problem that we should be raising.
These kind of updates and precautionary work is done by all manufacturers FOC.

One stupid thing which i always mention VW is why do they charge for washing the car. Come-on VW can atleast offer its customer a free wash if not free servicing s.

[Ricky_63]

Very kind of you to have responded point by point, but you seem to have missed the MAIN point - that they did not mention any of this on the job card, that is all I am making a noise about.

As for being pro-active, it is great that they "look after" cars, but the whole point is that they did NOTHING of which VW has been billed for. Hence it is simply eye wash !!

My whole concern is that they performed major "dismantling" or crucial parts WITHOUT my consent & WITHOUT informing me, whereas in reality they did nothing but bill VW, hence I want VW to wake up & smell reality.

[harsh.m06]

I got my vento's 2nd service done in July 2013 and during the preparation of Job card, the service manager showed me some documents and said that the front seats frame has to be replaced under warranty as its showing signs of rusting in other cars. He told me in detail that the seats would be taken out and the frame would be replaced which will take around 3 hrs to complete. I wasn't told anything about the steering column wiring but it has been taken care of. I came to know about the wiring being fixed when the car was ready to be driven out of the workshop, I realized that the steering was out of alignment. The wheels being straight, the steering wasnt pointing the center. it was marginally turned towards the left. The error was so easily noticable that even a first time driver could find out that the steering was out of alignment. I asked the service manager to fix it straight away and why the hell have they messed up with the steering? He told me that some wiring has to be fixed under warranty.

When I got my car back, the seats and the other beige plastics were covered with dirt marks all around . I was completely pissed off by their work. VW being such a premium brand was offering so unprofessional service. But later, the service manager called up a dry cleaner and he cleaned up all the dirt marks

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

Very kind of you to have responded point by point, but you seem to have missed the MAIN point - that they did not mention any of this on the job card, that is all I am making a noise about.

Service bulletin should be mentioned as alphanumeric on job card. They would come by default when new job card is opened. Have a look at job card.

1. Service bulletin no. : 97Y2

Work: Related to steering column.

2, Service bulletin no. : 72E3

Work: VW replacing front driver & co-driver seat frames.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

My whole concern is that they performed major "dismantling" or crucial parts WITHOUT my consent & WITHOUT informing me, whereas in reality they did nothing but bill VW, hence I want VW to wake up & smell reality.

How could it be possible that they bill everything to VW and don't do anything. I would suggest you to have a talk with Workshop Manager & Head Mechanic to understand every work that was done on your car. If they don't give satisfactory answers you can always take VW to task and ask them to perform all the service bulletins again in your presence.

If at all, they didn't do anything and billed VW atleast you can be sure they didn't dismantle any hardware of your car which is very unlikely.

[Ricky_63]

Well I said what I had to, seems you are defending VW for whatever be the reason, do you not see where I am coming from.

Having said that I do appreciate your help in making me understand their jargon, what you do not seem to read is - that all of the stuff happened (supposedly) without my consent, where as the fact is NOTHING was done

I am interested to wake up VW from their slumber - end of story

Thanks for your help though, I am sure you mean well.

One question though, do you work for VW or an associate company ?

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

Well I said what I had to, seems you are defending VW for whatever be the reason, do you not see where I am coming from.

One question though, do you work for VW or an associate company ?

Well, I do not work for VW or in automobile sector. How did you deduce it?

I will never defend any company for say, even VW. I have got a lot to jot down on my ownership thread like recent failure of two injector of my 1.6 TDi while driving back some 200 Kms from home. Car stalled after repair, 200 mts from home to getting it all fixed.

I actually look up to your thread for recent development on your Vento. I would suggest you to have a talk with Workshop Manager & Head Mechanic to understand every work that was done on your car.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

Thanks for your help though, I am sure you mean well.

One question though, do you work for VW or an associate company ?

That's a bit unfair, Ricky. El lobo is a part of the very active Vento owner community of Team BHP for a long time. His advice in this case is spot-on and you should take it.

One thing I agree with Ricky on is that any change needs to be communicated to the owner, whether it is covered under insurance or not. It is also a bit hard to believe that VW service managed to do all that work in a matter of hours, considering that they keep the car for 2 days for a basic oil change/filter change service!

Ricky- one suggestion. VW's CRM department does a mandatory follow up on each vehicle serviced which they seem to take very seriously. Typically this is a week after the service. Please make sure you mention these points in your feedback and refer your email to them if necessary.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

...One stupid thing which i always mention VW is why do they charge for washing the car. Come-on VW can atleast offer its customer a free wash if not free servicing s.

As far as I understand, everybody charges for the wash. Just that they do NOT explicitly mention it. I once asked my MA$$ guys NOT to wash and he said it's already included in the "Paid Service Cost" or something of that sort.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

..Very kind of you to have responded point by point, but you seem to have missed the MAIN point - that they did not mention any of this on the job card, that is all I am making a noise about...

Mistake from the A$$ guys. They need to inform customers about everything.

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

....but the whole point is that they did NOTHING of which VW has been billed for. Hence it is simply eye wash !!...

How did you make out that they have NOT done any of the changes? Just because they did NOT take so much time? Or do the (visible) parts all look the same as you had previously?

[Ricky_63]

Originally Posted by noopster

That's a bit unfair, Ricky. El lobo is a part of the very active Vento owner community of Team BHP for a long time. His advice in this case is spot-on and you should take it.

I have appreciated his detailed reply, I do not think I offended anyone if I ask if the person is in any way related to VW professionally, anyway your comments are welcome.


One thing I agree with Ricky on is that any change needs to be communicated to the owner, whether it is covered under insurance or not. It is also a bit hard to believe that VW service managed to do all that work in a matter of hours, considering that they keep the car for 2 days for a basic oil change/filter change service!

We are not talking about anything being covered by insurance here.

My point exactly how can they do all of the aforesaid work in a 4 hour window ?

Ricky- one suggestion. VW's CRM department does a mandatory follow up on each vehicle serviced which they seem to take very seriously. Typically this is a week after the service. Please make sure you mention these points in your feedback and refer your email to them if necessary.

I have already mailed them, and have got no response as yet

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

As far as I understand, everybody charges for the wash. Just that they do NOT explicitly mention it. I once asked my MA$$ guys NOT to wash and he said it's already included in the "Paid Service Cost" or something of that sort.



Mistake from the A$$ guys. They need to inform customers about everything.

Exactly my point No work can be done on a customer's car WITHOUT his /her consent


How did you make out that they have NOT done any of the changes? Just because they did NOT take so much time? Or do the (visible) parts all look the same as you had previously?

No rocket science there, my driver was there throughout while they serviced the car

[harry10]

I believe Service center is at fault here and you should do whatever you can to get a satisfactory outcome. No matter if its been instructed by VW as per bulletin to carry out specific job, its the duty of the SA to call you and take your consent for the same before going ahead. Also, the mentioned jobs and timeline doesn't match and in no way they can do all that in the specific time even if your driver wasn't present to witness it.

As much TASS is ridiculed by people, in our long association whenever there is a work which is not mentioned in the job card has to be done, me or my dad gets a call from the SA for the consent to go ahead. Also, we have never been charged for a wash which is done at all services and even when there is a minor problem and we send the car to them, they always return it with a wash.

Keep updating how it goes.